TPM - Chinese Grammar "bi"

 

Chinese Grammar

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + AdjectiveBasic Comparisons with "bi"

One of the most common ways of comparing things in Chinese is to use 比 (bǐ).

Basic Pattern Using 比

You could think of 比 (bǐ) as meaning "than," except that it sits between the two things being compared. The word order will take a little getting used to, but aside from that, the pattern is quite easy.

Structure

To say that one thing is more adjective than another, the structure is:

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adjective

The noun that's placed first is the one that comes out on top in the comparison. So in the sentence:

  • 小李 比 小张 高 。Xiao Li is taller than Xiao Zhang.

小李 is taller. The same situation could be described as:

  • 小张 比 小李 矮 。Xiao Zhang is smaller than Xiao Li.

Examples

  • 她 比 我 大 。She is older than me.
  • 我 比 你 胖 。I'm fatter than you.
  • 美国 比 英国 大 。The U.S. is bigger than the U.K.
  • 这 个 地方 比 那 个 地方 好 。This place is better than that place.
  • 纽约 比 上海 冷 。New York is colder than Shanghai.
  • 咖啡 比 茶 苦 。Coffee is more bitter than tea.
  • 鱼 比 猪肉 好吃 。Fish tastes better than pork.
  • 伦敦 的 房子 比 上海 的 贵 。The apartments in London are more expensive than in Shanghai.
  • 上海 比 别 的 城市 方便 。Shanghai is more convenient than other cities.
  • 中文 比 英语 有意思 。Chinese is more interesting than English.

Common Errors 

Try not to make these mistakes:

The adjective used in the comparison should be positive, not negative.

  • 我 比 你 不 聪明 。I than you not smarter. (incorrect)
  • 你 比 我 聪明 。You are smarter than me. (correct)
  • 我 比 你 笨 。I am dumber than you. (correct)

比 is not used with 一样. 比 is used when two things are not the same.

  • 我 比 你 一样 聪明 。I than you the same smart. (incorrect)
  • 我 跟 你 一样 聪明 。I am as smart as you. (correct)

 Pattern Using 比 and 更

This one is just a slight upgrade of the basic 比 (bǐ) comparison pattern, adding in 更 (gèng) before the adjective. 更 means "even more," so the idea is that while one thing is already quite [adjective], this other thing is even more [adjective]. Pretty simple!

Structure

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + 更 + Adjective

The only new thing here is the addition of 更 (gèng) before the adjective.

  • 小李 比 小张 更 高 。Xiao Li is even taller than Xiao Zhang.

The implication is that while Xiao Zhang is tall, 小李 is even taller.

Examples

  • 她 比 我 更 大 。She is even older than me.
  • 我 比 你 更 胖 。I'm even fatter than you.
  • 美国 比 英国 更 大 。The U.S. is even bigger than the U.K.
  • 这 个 地方 比 那 个 地方 更 好 。This place is even better than that place.
  • 你 比 你 妈妈 更 漂亮 。You are even prettier than your mom.
  • iPhone 比 iPad 更 贵 。iPhone is even more expensive than iPad.
  • 中文 比 法语 更 难 。Chinese is even more difficult than French.
  • 海南 比 香港 更 热 。Hainan is even hotter than Hong Kong.
  • 我 现在 比 以前 更 开心 。I am even happier now than before.
  • 我 的 钱 比 你 的钱 更 多 。I have even more money than you.

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